Khoomei in the center of Asia

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The International Festival “Xöömei in the Center of Asia” first took place in 2015 and brought together over 200 performers of Tuvan vocal music and other types of overtone singing from all over the world in Kyzyl. Üstüü-Xüree Over the course of 5 days musicians from Japan, China, the USA, Spain, Finland, Altai, Shoria, Xakassia, Buryatia, and Yakutia competed in traditional genres as well as experimenting with syntheses of various musical genres, even performing xöömei with country motifs. There were three categories: traditional solo, traditional ensemble, and Xöömei in modern interpretation. The best performers and ensembles made their mark, and the festival closed with celebrations and awards. This festival is planned to happen every couple of years, the last one taking place in summer of 2017. The summer 2017 festival took place on an evern larger scale than the first, attracting over 80 from other countries and approximately 120 from Tuva and the regions of the Russian Federation. In addition, the 2018 festival featured musical acts from around the world as part of its concert program, while simultaneously hosting the “Dembildei” competition as part of the overall festival. Highly renowned musicians such as Jeff Coffin, Felix Pastorius, Jordan Perlson, Hosoo, Jaron Freeman-Fox, Meshk Ensemble, Lemon DeGeorge, Koichi Makigami and others contributed to the diverse and captivating concert program. The popularity of the competition and the conert program bears witness to Tuva’s ever-increasing popularity in the world of music and in world musical culture, recognizing Tuva’s central musical role as the homeland of Sygyt, Xöömei, Kargyraa, Borbangnadyr, Ezengileer, and many other types of vocal music, now referred to collectively (if erroneously) worldwide as throat singing